


Nothing Has To Change Today

by myecstasyisfullofhate



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Alternate Universe - Boarding School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Anxiety, Closeted Character, Coffee, Explicit Sexual Content, Fluff, I'm Bad At Tagging, I'm Going to Hell, Love Confessions, M/M, Secret Relationship, pls help
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-14
Updated: 2020-03-14
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:28:15
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,578
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23135416
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/myecstasyisfullofhate/pseuds/myecstasyisfullofhate
Summary: The most significant families of Nohr and Hoshido had never been this close. After a history of warring and turmoil, the reunion of adopted twins, separated at birth, brought the families closer as if they were one.Shiro, a son of Hoshido, hated his legacy. He was always expected to be perfect- to live up to his father's name. But Shiro didn't want to live up to his father's name; he wanted to make his own.Siegbert, a son of Nohr, hated his legacy. The son of military genius Xander, he was supposed to be a perfect child- but he was always anxious and stressed; scared that he would never live up to what others believed of him.Valla, a country founded in the aftermath of the great Hoshidan-Nohrian War, gave a place for people like them to stay. A place where they could make a new future, regardless of expectations from their fathers.What they didn't expect was to be building this future together.
Relationships: Shinonome | Shiro/Siegbert
Comments: 5
Kudos: 11





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok?? so?? this is one of my favourite ships of all time and i hope I do it justice! T^T

"I'm so excited! My little boy, all grown up!" squealed Charlotte from the back of the minibus, an arm wrapped around her son. It was the opening day of _Lilith High School,_ a brand new boarding school developed in Valla, aiming to bring together Nohrians and Hoshidans. Driving the bus was Azura, headmistress of this new school, bringing along the Nohrian side of her extended family who had enrolled in the institution- her husband Laslow driving the bus containing the Hoshidans.

"I'm not little anymore, I'm sixteen." Siegbert sighed in reply to his mother, the sole parent accompanying him; some work thing had cropped up for his father.

"You'll always be my little baby!" Charlotte said with a pout, laughter soon breaking through her lips. "Seriously though, think about all the possibilities, Sieg! You can do so much in a new school surrounded by all your friends and cousins! Hell, it might even help you get over your anxiety!"

Siegbert laughed nervously in response, the conversation already making him feel awkward. He'd always been fairly close to his mother, but she had a tendency to be an incredibly powerful speaker who just took control of the conversation. He hadn't inherited that from her, or anything else, for that matter- if it wasn't for his hair, it would be hard to believe he was even related to Charlotte at all. 

Charlotte smiled at her son's laugh. "I'm gonna miss you, Sieg. It can get a bit lonely at home when you're not around."

Siegbert nodded. "I can understand- it's not as if father is around much either." Siegbert's father Xander was an important tactical genius in the Nohrian military, usually always working, spending little time at home, Even now, with heavily decreased tensions between Hoshido and Nohr, Siegbert hardly ever saw his father.

When compared to such a paragon of excellence in Nohr, Siegbert was nothing. He had anxiety- quite severely, too- and struggled in groups of large people. As a result, he tended to close himself away, spending his time reading or studying. If he could count the number of times people had said ' _I wish you got Xander's people skills'_ or ' _Why is he such an antisocial freak',_ he was sure he'd have enough money to move away from his responsibilities.

One thing he had inherited from his father, however, was his mind; Siegbert was smart, and constantly excelled in schoolwork, despite his lackluster physical ability ( _'why didn't you get his strength?'_ people often said). This was one thing he was praised on- and the one thing keeping him more than a pebble in his father's shadow. Sometimes, Siegbert just felt completely useless.

"Well, that's what happens when you've got such an important job. Don't worry, I'll be fine- I've got plenty of friends, after all! Just promise me that you're gonna try and get out, okay? It's your junior year, Sieg- you've gotta get out and make some friends! Studying is important, but so are the people around you."

 _'That's all I'm good at.'_ Siegbert thought, a twinge of uselessness shooting through his mind. Outside of his cousins Nina, Ophelia, Forrest, and Kiragi, he had never really had any close friends at school. He wasn't good at making them. Instead of saying this, however, he just nodded.

These next months were going to be long.

* * *

Shiro was sitting in silence at the back of the bus, his father at his side. He had his headphones in and was listening to some shitty Spotify playlist he downloaded. Either way, it broke the deathly silence going on between the two of them.

Shiro and his father had never been particularly close. After his mother's death when he was 12, they would hardly ever talk, and when they did, it tended to devolve into a fight. His father was at work most of the time anyway- his aunt Sakura has raised him for the most part these last 4 years. 

Ryoma was considered the epitome of a commander by the Hoshidan government, acclaimed and respected as a war hero. These expectations passed onto Shiro, just as his father's bad hair had; they thought that he should be chivalrous, and obedient, and a genius.

However, Shiro took after Scarlet more; between his blonde hair, rebellious personality, and willingness to break the rules. Shiro didn't want to be like his father- instead, he wanted to be himself. Still, he was being sent off to this fancy boarding school which he definitely had no right going to- his grades were doubtlessly going to be lackluster unless he employed a tutor or something. 

Sighing, he took a look at the rest of the bus. Asugi and Midori were arguing with Soleil and Shigure, who were getting reprimanded by their father, who was behind the wheel. Forrest was doing Caeldori's hair as Kiragi slept, clinging onto his father's arm. Somehow, they all managed to be functional families- which Shiro and Ryoma could not say.

He slouched back and pulled out his phone, only for his father to push it down:

"We're with family, Shiro. Show some respect."

"Right, because everyone in this fucking bus is gonna have a fit if I play a game whilst they're talking to other people who aren't me. Oh wait- they aren't."

"Watch your tone. What would your mother think if she saw you speaking to me like that?"

"If my mother was still alive then this wouldn't be happening in the first place. After all, you wouldn't have to waste your _precious_ time taking your _useless_ son to some boarding school that he's gonna fail classes in anyway."

Ryoma flinched. He said a lot of things like that to Shiro when he was mad- which was fairly often, considering Shiro's temper. "If you believe that you're going to fail then you're going to fail. There's no good in that."

Shiro laughed. "Well I guess that I'm going to fucking fail, Mr. _Perfect._ Y'know, not everyone can be as talented as you-"

At this moment, his Uncle Takumi turned around, Kiragi still glued to his side. "Can you two please stop trying to kill each other for five minutes? Some of us-" He gestured to his sleeping son "Don't wanna deal with your excessive nattering."

Ryoma nodded with a grumble, leaning back into the seat. Shiro rolled his eyes and pulled up the hood on his hoodie, biting his lip.

These few minutes were going to be _long._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next chapter is going to have the actual plot begin! This is just a little taster so that I can set the scene and the universe a bit~
> 
> if you're confused about any pairings or the such, don't be afraid to ask!


	2. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For the first time in years, Shiro and Siegbert get the opportunity to bond over a cup of coffee- and they have more in common than they thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok so just to clarify, M!Avatar is Kamui and F!Avatar is Corrin, it's Kamui/Silas and Corrin/Jakob and M!Kana is Kana and F!Kana is Kanna.
> 
> also i hc sieg w/ glasses? idk it's not a big thing just a little tidbit

Shiro angrily threw his phone on the bed, slamming the door behind him. They were about two months into the school year, and everything was going fine; he was part of the soccer team, he hadn't fucked up any friendships, and his classwork was going better than expected.

  
_Or so he thought._

  
When Ryoma had found out that his son had failed the majority of his midterms, he was furious; Shiro could still hear the rage in his voice _("Your mother died so that you'd have this opportunity and this is what you make of it?")_. As a result, Shiro was grounded- his aunt would doubtlessly be coming to pick up his phone for the rest of the week, and he was effectively under dorm arrest.

"Woah, chill, Princey. Don't get your headband in a twist." chided his best friend, Asugi, from the other bed in the room. That was one of the better things about the school- Azura had been particularly generous with the room assignments, and a lot of friends were together. "You're grounded again, right? My dad called me and said that I _'Better make sure I don't drop to Shiro's level because I'm already on thin ice'_. Spoilsport."

Shiro nodded, running a hand through his hair, then tugging at his headband to make sure it was not actually twisted. "He called me a disappointment, as usual, and he said that I've gotta step up my game or I'm gonna be eternally grounded." Shiro understood that he needed to be better academically, but surely his dad could've been more supportive? But no, instead he just shouted at Shiro for making mistakes, using some bullshit excuse like 'I didn't raise you to be so lazy' even though he didn't even raise him in the first place- his mother and Aunt Sakura did.

"Eternal grounding? More like eternal damnation if you ask me!" Asugi chuckled, popping another lollipop into his mouth- he had three or four now (Shiro couldn't tell.) "It probably helps to actually do the homework y'know. Even I get that far."

Rolling his eyes, Shiro's sat on his bed just as his phone buzzed. Whilst picking it up, the blonde retorted: "Homework is a waste of time. I'd rather be learning new things than revising old ones."

"How do you expect to remember it for exams then?"

"I don't."

"That doesn't seem like a very good strategy."

"It isn't, Asugi." sighed Shiro as he opened the message, from his aunt Corrin: _"Hey, heard that you got grounded and that your dad wants you to take responsibility and that shit. Honestly, Ryoma's too hard on you, but I'm kinda scared of him and I suggested in passing that going to work might help straighten you out? So, yeah, come down to Jakob's shop ASAP." Another message had been sent, reading "Please don't hate me. It was an accident! <3"_

Shiro swore, loudly. The _last_ thing he needed now was another commitment; let alone a boring one that would likely put him in the same room as Dwyer for multiple hours at a time (they were friends, but he could get depressing real quick). Between soccer, schoolwork, and friends, he wasn't sure if he'd have enough time for a job The extra money would be nice- his father was cutting off his allowance while he was grounded, after all- but he could already feel the stress boiling in his veins.

"Woah- did you not hear what I said? Chill." Asugi teased, flicking a lollipop stick at Shiro. "Did your dad threaten to bomb the school or something?" 

Shiro shook his head. "Nope, but now my old man wants me to go work at Dwyer's dad's shop. Sounds like a bore."

"That sounds fun." Asugi teased. "Pretty sure Siegbert works there too y'know, so you're not gonna be stuck with just old Despresso for a shift."

"Siegbert? Didn't he get like an 100 on his maths test?"

"Yeah. Maybe you should ask him for some tips."

"The day I get a study buddy is the day I die."

Asugi grinned. "I guess that you've gotta perish soon then."

* * *

The next day, Shiro found himself walking into _Jakob's Coffee_ , a small cafe in a developing neighbour only ten or so minutes away from the school. A lot of small shops like this had popped up in the capital city, pioneered by Kamui's friends Felicia and Flora. This was Jakob's contribution to the development of Valla- aside from being Corrin's husband, of course. Considering how it had only been about 20 years since the country was established, the progress was incredible.

Class had ended about 20 minutes ago, and Shiro had rushed here as fast as he could- after all, he was already in shit about a lot of things with his dad, and his punctuality needn't be one of them. As he entered, he was greeted by his friend Dwyer, the heir to the shop and an employee, along with Jakob, who was sitting behind the counter.

"Nice of you to join us Shiro. I appreciate your taking the time to set the whole employment thing up with Corrin beforehand- now it means that we can get straight to business. Your uniform's in the back, go get changed." The owner chided, opening the door leading to the back of the shop. 

As Shiro entered, his nose was overwhelmed with a strong scent of coffee; but he didn't mind it. His mother had loved coffee- when he was younger, she often tried to teach him how to brew it, but to no avail. After his mother's death, he learnt how to do so to an acceptable standard, so he could make his own. After finding his uniform- a tag signed Shiro pinned to the breast- and subsequently changing, he re-entered the main room to see Siegbert enter. The boy looked exhausted, his glasses sliding off of his nose.

"Good of you to join us, Siegbert. Hurry up and get changed- I need you to help Shiro around on his first day." ordered Jakob, as the blonde obliged and left the room. "We're opening in 10 minutes- get behind the counter and get ready, kids."

By the time Siegbert came back in, Dwyer had already gotten to work, setting out cups and menus. Meanwhile, Shiro anxiously awaited his 'guide's' return, fiddling around with his headband. When the blonde came over to him, he let out a big grin.

"Heyo, Sieg! It's been a while, like- 4 years since we last properly spoke? How have you been?" asked Shiro, the smile still tugging at the corners of his face. When they were younger, and at the big extended family reunions, they used to be quite close-as the eldest, it often fell to them to watch over the children of the family. However, since everyone had matured, they'd has no reason to speak for quite a while. Shiro was looking forward to getting to know Siegbert again- it would likely take away from some of the boredom of working. 

"I'm good, Shiro. How have you been? Well, I hope." The blonde smiled. 

Shiro bit his lip. "I've been better. I'm grounded because of my shitty results and I'm not allowed my phone back until I get at least a C on a test. Aside from that? I'm great!"

Siegbert nodded solemnly. "Well-uh- if you need help, just...ask? I guess? Sorry- I'm-"

Shaking his head, Shiro said: "You don't need to apologise. I'd appreciate the help- in fact, I'm not sure why you'd have to apologise after all." Siegbert was just offering to help. Why would he have to be sorry for that?

Siegbert nodded anxiously, not making eye contact. "Uh- okay. Well, I'm free tonight if you need help for tomorrow- there's the History test, after all."

_Fuck._

  
Shiro's eyes widened. "Which I forgot about. Nice- how long is the shift?"

Siegbert let out a deep sigh at Shiro's negligence. "Four hours since we're students. We can study in here- I can ask Jakob. I keep textbooks in my bag-assuming you want to, of course-"

"I'd love to, Siegbert. Now, what do I do, boss?"

"Oh-right- uh, can you speak to the people and get their orders? I'm not the best with people-"

"Sure thing. I need to write down names and orders, right?"

"Yes, and I'll make them. Thanks for the help." Siegbert's lips twisted into a slight smile.

Shiro let out a subdued laugh. "Just doing my job bro."

* * *

"And we're done! about time, really." shouted Dwyer in celebration, as the last customer left the shop. Shiro, too, was relieved- even his social battery could be quickly drained by a bunch of tourists flooding in and asking him to write down coffee orders that seemed more like magic spells.

"Mhm. Jakob, can I ask you a question, if you don't mind?" Siegbert asked politely, already cleaning up the counter.

"Of course. What do you need?"

"Can we borrow the cafe for a few hours? Shiro needs to revise for his history test tomorrow and here would be the most convenient place to do so."

Jakob contemplated this for a moment. "I suppose so. Just bring the keys with you to school tomorrow and give them to Dwyer. I have a spare set."

Siegbert nodded, smiling. "Thanks for your trust, Jakob. I'm going to go get changed- Shiro, would you mind cleaning up?"

Shiro nodded as he began to tidy. It wasn't a matter of time before he had finished- most of the customers requested the coffee to go, after all. Once finished, he got changed back into his schoolclothes and joined Siegbert at the table he had set up, the other blonde already focused on work.

Shiro took the time to appreciate how Siegbert had set up. Perfectly aligned with the books he had stacked- seemingly ordered chronologically- was a notebook, ' _Shiro_ ' signed in cursive at the top. There were pens of varying colours tied together with an elastic band, a note attached to them: _'Use black for notes! Red can be used to review sections, and green can be used to review mistakes. The yellow highlighter can be used to signify important bits.'_ and a glass of water each. He couldn't help but laugh at Siegbert's planning; he clearly cared about it a lot, and it made Shiro happy to see Siegbert so enthusiastic about this. Over the time they had spent working, Shiro had noticed that Siegbert seemed to constantly feel awkward; taking every order with shaking hands. Now, he seemed so much more relaxed, and Shiro was happy for him- he was glad to see his old friend so peaceful.

"D-did I- uh- why are you laughing? I am _that_ weird?" Siegbert asked, Shiro's giggle shaking him. He had done a complete 360- now quivering, his notebook held close to his chest.

"No- It wasn't bad. It's just cute how you put in so much effort- I could never do that for studying." Shiro clarified.

This made Siegbert take a sigh of relief and a deep breath, before setting his book back down. "Well- I gave you some of my spare stuff. I have plenty so you shouldn't feel bad. Ideally you have a seperate notebook for each topic, and then a binder for each subject, but I doubt I can expect you to go that far." He smiled.

Shiro nodded. "Yeah- I'm not good with all this studying stuff. I just really need a C so my dad will unground me. What's the test on?"

" _You don't even know what the test's on?"_ Siegbert asked, seemingly amazed. "Uh- not to be rude, but you sound kinda- uh- helpless." He blushed and looked down. "But that's okay! We'll sort you out- hopefully. Anyway, my test is on Modern History- more notably, the Hoshido-Nohr war."

Shiro nodded. "Don't worry- I know I'm hopeless. And- well- lead the way, Sieggy."

Siegbert laughed at the nickname. "Okay, Shiro. Turn to- lemme see- it's page 420."

"Nice."

"Focus on the work."

As Siegbert explained the contents of the topic to him, Shiro found himself understanding a lot- more than his history teacher ever did, at least. He wasn't sure if it was just the way that Siegbert worded it; or if the topic being recent made it appeal to him more; or if it was just the general concept of being taught by a friend. Siegbert did have a wondeful way with words- even his handwriting, a very intricate yet legible cursive reflected this. He also noticed that when talking about a topic he was passionate about, the other blonde would also begin to smile as his cheeks began to tinge with a shade of pink. Shiro was enjoying this situation much more than he would've expected; not only was he learning for school, but also about an old friend.

"And that's the story of how my father- the specification says we must call him _General Xander Marx Norburu_ -got involved in this mess." Siegbert said, as an alarm set off on his phone, which was on the table because it had been playing music for them whilst they studied. "Oh- it's curfew in 30. We should pack up."

Shiro nodded and began to gather the things which Siegbert had given him. "Thanks, Sieg- you're a lifesaver. You don't think we could do this some other time too? I really need the help. Oh- and thanks for the things, by the way"

Siegbert shrugged as he tidied away. "It's nothing. Uh- and sure- I guess i can give you my number." The blonde scribbled down the series of numbers on a scrap of paper and handed it to the other boy. "Are we walking back?"

"Yeah- it gives us an opportunity to speak more. It's been so long since I ever really spoke to you- I wanna see if everything's still the same. Like do you still get annoyed about your hair curling up at the ends? Oh- and do you still proofread all of Nina's weird fanfiction for her?" Shiro laughed. He enjoyed recalling times from 5 years ago, when life was a lot simpler. No annoying dads or dumb expectations to put up with. Everything seemed so _perfect-_ and that was probably why he'd enjoyed his time with Siegbert today too, the nostalgia.

Siegbert bit his lip as they left the shop, locking up and closing properly behind him. "Firstly, yes, it annoys me to no ends. And secondly, no- I can't believe I ever thought that crap was worth reading."

The taller boy let out a hearty chuckle, and looked at Siegbert. "Agreed. It sucks. So what do you do outside of class? I hardly ever see you anywhere."

"I spend a lot of time in my room, just reading or studying. I have student council on a Wednesday and Chess on a Friday. I- I don't really have the friends to go out with either." Siegbert admitted.

"Huh? That's unbelievable, dude- I thought a cool guy like you would have loads of friends.

"Don't try to cheer me up, Shiro. I- I know I'm not the most approachable person. I can get anxious- and I tend to avoid people; usually I freeze up- I-" Siegbert took a deep breath, clearly troubled. "Though- to be honest- spending this time with you and you treating me way you did all those years ago? It makes me happy. So thanks, Shiro."

"It's what a friend does, bro." Shiro smiled. "We're friends, right? I'm happy to hang out with you anytime- just give me a call. After all, it's not as if we're a country apart anymore."

"I suppose so." Siegbert shrugged. "But-uh- I'm not really into stuff like partying and the such, so-"

"That's okay! We can do stuff that you wanna do when it's just the two of us. I'm always happy to try new things."

"You're too nice, Shiro." Siegbert grinned. "It means a lot."

Shiro responded with his own grin, and then proceeded to pat Siegbert on the back. "Anytime, bud." 

Siegbert's smile widened into a friendly laugh; he couldn't recall the last time he'd felt this genuinely happy after talking to someone- and if he did, he was certain it would've been 5+ years ago. Somehow, Shiro managed to just be so friendly and approachable that Siegbert could let down his guard; he didn't need to be Xander's 'perfect' son. Yes, they'd been friends again for approximately 7 hours, and he knew that it was likely too perfect to be true; but for now, Siegbert was happy. And he wanted to stay that way.

* * *

"Actually, I think I did pretty well! Of course, we'll know in a week, but I understood every single question!" Shiro proudly declared as he left the testing hall, his friends Nina, Caeldori, and Soleil at his side.

"Me too! Did you understand Question 14- because I thought it was referring to-" Caeldori began, before she was cut off. Akin to her father, she tended to score the best of soccer team when it came to exams.

"Xander Marx Norburu. I know. Siegbert's dad- he went on for like 15 minutes about that part last night." Shiro laughed.

"Ooh- Siegbert? As in my _cousin_ Siegbert? What were you doing with him?" teased Nina, a devilish look in her eye.

"Chill. We work together and we decided to have a study session last night."

"Yeah, Nina- not everyone applies to your gay harem dream! Right, Cedar Oil?" Soleil chided Nina.

Caeldori groaned. "Yep. Stop shipping Shiro with every guy he looks at. He's straight, for crying out loud."

Nina pouted. "Okay, _fiiiiine._ But if they start dating, you owe me 50 bucks!"

Shiro blinked. "I'm still here y'know."

Soleil ignored him. "Deal! When's the deadline?"

"End of next month!" Nina teased.

Shiro groaned into his laugh. "Hey, what about good old Cola Ride? Surely she needs to bet on it too?"

Caeldori sighed. "They're fucking betting on you, and you're encouraging it?"

Still laughing along with his friends, Shiro nodded. His friends were like this- constantly bickering amongst themselves, most frequently about Nina's fantasies. He enjoyed being around people, and was glad to have his friends at his side.

Siegbert, conversely, did not.

Instead, he was holed up in his room, listening to some outdated musical soundtrack as he took an off day- his aunt had been kind enough to somehow allocate him a solo room. He was happy with how he did on the test- he had essentially predicted the questions before it had began- and therefore believed he deserved this time to slack off.

Usually, Siegbert spent most of his time alone because that was when he could be Siegbert. There were expectations which came with being Xander's son, after all, that made him feel victimised and weak- he hadn't inherited his father's looks or his strength, or his courage. Instead, he had a shitload of anxiety and a gift for learning, making him seem like a nerdy wimp. Nowadays, when everyone knew where to strike to hurt others the most, Siegbert couldn't just imagine everyone as rabbits anymore- he had to face them head on.

Avoiding them usually kept him alone in his room, like this, where he filled his time with study. It was the one thing he excelled at, after all- maybe even more than his father. As far as Siegbert was concerned, since he didn't need friends for this, they were more troubling to his anxiety than they were worth. The only 'friends' he had were his cousins who insisted on checking up on him. Ophelia was easily the closest to him, due to their shared interests in niche musicals and similar forms of articulation; but even then, sometimes he felt judged by her, just like his parents, just like everyone else.

Even after the positive experience he had with Shiro the night before, he couldn't help but fear that the other boy was talking about him to his friends, about how scared and flimsy he seemed and how he put so much useless effort into studying- and- and how _gay_ his handwriting was.

Siegbert had known his sexuality for about two years, but struggled to be content with it. While there was Soleil- easily one of the most popular girls in school- who was gay, she was _popular-_ nobody would dare pick on her for liking girls. But Siegbert? He was just some weak, wimpy, gay nerd who couldn't defend himself in conversation. If he came out, he would doubtlessly just be ridiculed. It wasn't like anyone would date him anyway.

The blonde took a deep breath and laid back on his bed, attempting to stay calm. He was overreacting, wasn't he?

_Probably._

He took a deep sigh and got up, changing to sleep early. He had stayed up until the early hours of the morning the past few nights studying, so it was probably for the best.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> asdfghjkl idk if i did them justice? i hope i did~


End file.
